Ignoring The Countdown
by When Dreams Become Reality
Summary: Sequel to Ignoring The Truth. Sixty days, two months. That was how long Slade allowed him to be with his family. A reward, he called it, for being so good the past eight months as his apprentice. When the time was up, Slade would come for him. No slash, includes lots of members of the Batfam, i.e. Jason Todd and Alfred Pennyworth.
1. Day 3

**Woohoo! I updated this when I said I would! I'm actually quite surprised with myself, seeing as I wrote it all last night and stayed up until almost 1:00 am doing so. My parents are out of town and my Grandma is staying with me, so I didn't expect any time to write! But alas, the first chapter of Ignoring The Countdown! **

**P.S. You really SHOULD read Ignoring The Truth first, but I suppose there is nothing stopping you from going on and reading this...**

* * *

Life was hard, but that was okay. Because, when had it ever been easy for Dick Grayson? There was always something, something awful going on in his life. All he could hope for at the end of the day was to wake up again the next day. Because sometimes... sometimes it really felt like he was never going to wake back up again.

Being with his family was more help to his recovery than Dick could've ever imagined. Alfred was the comforting and dependent person he needed, someone who was ALWAYS there for him. Someone who woke him from the horrible nightmares, welcoming him back to reality with hot cocoa or cookies.

Jason was the friend he needed to take his mind of off things. He needed someone who could help him forget, someone he could play video games and walk in the hallways with at school.

And Bruce... He was Bruce. In a twisted and sick way, he was the Slade. True, the two had nothing in common, but he was more of a parental figure. Someone he could always depend on to say 'Suck it up' or 'Accidents happen'. Bruce was the Slade, but somehow that was good. He was there to remind him of the world around him, to remind him that his problems weren't always what needed his attention.

The Justice League and other heroes were part of his family too. But they were more of the distant relatives, just coming around occasionally and staying for dinner and small talk. They made him feel normal again, and sometimes in rare instants, he could forget everything. He could forget all the pain, the betrayal, the torture he had endured.

Yes. He definitely needed his family. They were there for him, there to wash away it all in an instant. He could never express with words how much they meant to him.

Right now though, was one of those moments where his brain was swiped clean by the normal acts they all put on. It took Dick a second to pull himself from his thoughts and recognize once again where he was.

He was sitting at the huge oak dining table in Wayne Manor. He was surrounded by his family- Brice, Jason, Clark, Donna, Barry, Wally- they were all there, laughing at how Barry and Wally had absolutely _no _table manners.

After dinner Bruce and the other adults went into another room to discuss 'adult things' while the three boys wandered the manor.

They eventually ended up in the TV room. It was a big room with dim lighting and comfy chairs positioned in front of a large flat screen. Shelves full of DVD's and video games lined the walls, stacked neatly in alphabetical order.

The three teenaged boys fell onto the chairs with a large thud, each moving around until they were sitting comfortably.

"So..." Jason drew the word out awkwardly, turning in his chair to stare at his friends. "You guys wanna play a video game?"

The three ended up spending their remaining time together playing a war game, on the same team trying to protect a flag against other players.

They won almost every time, and were long bored with the game when it was finally time for Wally to leave.

After the last of the visitors had left, Jason turned the game off and the two boys sat in silence for a moment.

"Dick, can I ask you something?" The room was silent once again as Jason turned to look at his brother.

Dick's hair was a tangled mess, his skin was pale and he looked awfully thin in the faded blue shirt he wore.

"Sure." Dick turned to face his brother as well, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"What was it like... being with Slade?" Jason didn't expect an answer from Dick, he did t even expect a response. But he had to know, if he was going to help Dick forget what had happened, he needed to know what went on those 8 months.

"What was it like? It was... hard. I tried so hard to please him, but it was hardly ever good enough. No matter what I did, there was still something that needed improvement. Some reason to punish me." An awkward silence filled the room as Dick fumed, remembering all the times he had been beaten for a stupid mistake.

"Once... He... He wanted me to shoot a gun. Not at anyone, just some target practice, but I refused anyway. When I took the oath to become Robin I had promised Bruce would ever shoot a gun. He beat me, told me that I would eventually have to use the gun that I'd have no other choice but to. One night, he was gone and I couldn't sleep. I went to train by myself; it was early in the morning... I didn't think anyone would care if I did a little target practice... I thought... I thought it would make him happy... Proud..."

There was the small sound of feet shuffling on the carpet- Dick didn't seem to take notice but Jason turned his head slightly to see Bruce standing in the doorway. Turning to look at Dick again Jason saw the fear evident in his eyes. Dick was reliving the moment, flexing his right hand ever so slightly...

"Wintergreen- his assistant- caught me. He told Slade in the morning and he... He wasn't happy with me. He punished me by breaking my hand. Said that... That if he couldn't trust me... To... To not train without supervision then he would... He would make it so I couldn't train at all." His chest was rising and falling in deep, fast breaths and Dick continued to flex his hand to ensure himself that it wasn't still broken.

"It hurt. Not just... Not just physically... I thought he would be proud of me... I was wrong. I was very wrong..." Dick said these words in a hushed whisper, blinking rapidly and flexing his hand all the while.

"I'm... I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning Jason, goodnight Bruce." Dick stood from his spot and moved towards the doorway, where a stunned and motionless Dark Knight stood.

"Goodnight, Dick." Bruce moved into the room and resumed the seat Dick had been in, turning to Jason. The boy was staring down at his hands, chills running up and down his spine from the story Dick had told.

"Jason..." Bruce began,

"I'm sorry," Jason interrupted, "I didn't think he would actually tell me anything, I just wanted... I wanted him to know that I was open for discussion if he ever needed someone to talk to..." Jason looked up at his adoptive father, a look of guilt evident on his features.

"It's alright Jason, just... Keep from asking too often about Slade. Every once in a while question might help him get it off his chest, but keep in mind that a lot of things are going to change with him."

Jason merely nodded, before following Bruce out of the room and towards the Batcave to get ready for patrol.

* * *

_"Sixty days, Dick. I'll be back for you then so we can continue your training." _

_"Time's up Dick, time to come home." _

_"Come now, Richard. Did you really expect me to let you stay with them?" _

Dick bolted up in bed with a gasp, sweat dripping down his face and the sheets clinging to his wet body. The clock on his bedside table read 4:53 am. Surely Bruce would be back from patrol by now? Probably fast asleep in his bedroom. Dick stared longingly at the door. Maybe Bruce wouldn't mind if...

No. He had already troubled the man enough that night. He didn't need to go waking him up in the middle of the night just to talk about some dumb nightmare.

What was there to talk about anyways? It wasn't like he could tell anyone of the little deal he and Slade had. No, if he told Bruce then the man would end up sending him all the way across the planet- possibly to the moon if he could. He couldn't run though, Dick knew that. If he wasn't here when Slade came for him the man would kill everyone he had ever met, even if it was someone he hardly knew.

But still... He needed comfort, someone to assure him that Slade wouldn't be coming for him now. But eventually, he would come. Making up his mind, Dick slowly peeled the damp covers from his skin.

He needed to talk to Bruce.

* * *

**Do you guys like my attempt at a cliffhanger? Yeah I know, it's not the best ending, but I REALLY needed to sleep last night so... **

**Anyways, see you here next Sunday! **


	2. Day 4

**Review replies: **

**Robinloverforeve: Don't worry, I updated, see?! When I got your PM this morning asking me to update it was 5;51 my time, and as SOON as I saw your review I started writing as fast as I could :) **

**Ida4444: I was kind of hoping someone would notice that! I think that in his situation, Dick would try to spend time with his family but still not do anything that might result in punishment when he goes back with Slade. IF he goes back... ;)**

**Sadie Aurora Night: That's actually a REALLY good idea... I'll try and think of a way I could fit that scene into this story because I think that it would really make the story better and Jay and Dick's relationship closer. **

**And just to let you guys know, the chapter names are the day number, so the closer we get to sixty the closer we get to the end! I'm just going to flat out say that Dick is counting the days in his head, and that I might skip a few days in between, so not ALL sixty days will be chapters. **

**On to the story!**

* * *

"Bruce...?" Dick silently opened the large door leading into the billionaires bedroom, but the man was not there. It was early in the morning, and surely he was back for patrol now? The only other logical place to look would be the Batcave, so Dick hurried to the large Grandfather clock and set it to the correct time. Jason had gone to bed long ago, and now Bruce was simply going over the police reports for the night when he heard feet coming down the stairs.

At first he thought it was Alfred insisting he go to bed, but the black haired boy who rounded the corner proved him wrong.

"Dick? Is everything alright?" Bruce swiveled around in his chair to face the teen, who was staring at his bare feet on the cold floor.

"I'm fine, I just... Can't sleep is all." Dick plopped down in a nearby chair and pulled his knees up the his chest, letting his feet rest on the chair.

"A nightmare? I figured you would start getting those. Well, I'm just finishing up here. You know, you could've gone out on patrol with Jason and I..." Bruce's words faded uncomfortably at the suggestion. Ever since Dick had returned to the manor both Jason and Bruce had been pestering him to put on the cape again, but Dick didn't want to spend his sixty days on the dirty streets of Gotham. He would much rather stay home, were his family could keep him safe and protected...

"Bruce?" Dick began after a moment of silence, "Did you ever... Ever regret taking me in? When I was little, I mean." He sheepishly looked up at his adoptive father from under his bangs, and the man returned the gaze with a warm smile.

"Dick, I've never regretted that. I never will. Taking you in was something that helped the both of us. I couldn't just let you stay in the orphanage; I know how tough some of those kids can be. And at your age? It was highly unlikely that you'd ever get adopted, and if you did, it would be by some rich old couple wanting publicity." He let out a short laugh at this, and Dick nodded his head in agreement.

"No, I don't regret it, not one bit. Taking you in helped me more than I could've imagined. You taught me how to feel emotion again, besides just pain and guilt. You taught me to be happy again and Dick, that's something I could never repay you for." Bruce misled down at his son before leaning forward to envelope him in a hug.

* * *

Late the next morning, Jason and Dick were eating breakfast, Bruce had already left for work and it being summer vacation Jason didn't have school.

"Hey Dick, you wanna go cliff diving today?" Jason leaned close and said this in a hushed voice, so that Alfred couldn't hear him in the other room.

"Cliff diving?" Dick looked up from his plate in confusion.

"Yeah, cliff diving. You jump off cliffs into water and stuff. Perfectly safe." Jason replied while stuffing more bacon into his mouth.

"Does Bruce know that you go cliff diving?"

"Well, I haven't told him. But his is the World's Greatest Detective, right? I mean, surely he knows by now..." Jason stood from the table and gulped down the last of his orange juice before looking down at his brother. "So, you coming? I'm goanna go get my swimsuit on then we can go. There's a perfect cliff about a mile from here that drops off into the coast he can go to."

Dick nodded and stood from the table as well, going to his room to change. He put on some basic blue swim trunks, and was about to leave the room when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The S over his heart was clearly visible, and would surely be questioned by anyone who saw it. Up until this point, Dick had managed to hide the scar, but now...

Thinking quickly, Dick pulled a black t-shirt over his head before meeting Jason in the main entrance.

"Hey Alfred? Dick and I are going swimming for a bit, be back by three!" Jason shouted into the manor before leaving through the door.

The cliff was close enough for them to walk too, and although the walk was through some woods and over some large rocks it was a fairly short distance.

"How did you even find this place?" Dick asked, jumping over a particularly large rock.

"I was just walking around one day by myself about a month ago. It gets pretty boring in the manor all by yourself during the summer, you know? I almost want school to start back up again."

"Tell me about it," Dick replied, "Sometimes when I was little I would get so bored I would actually go with Bruce to work, just to do something. I even helped Alfred clean one time." Dick chuckled at the memories he had forgotten long ago.

A few minutes later they reached the cliff, a tall, almost 100 ft massive towering cliff leading into the bay water below.

"Wow," Dick exclaimed, "That's amazing." Jason nodded in excitement while kicking off his shoes and pulling his white t-shirt off his head. "So... You just... Jump?" Dick asked, looking over the edge and down at the water.

"Uh huh, like this." Jason ran towards the edge, leaping just in time before the cliff ended. His arms kept him balanced as he plummeted towards the water, finally colliding with it in a loud crash of noise.

"Now you try!" He shouted up at his brother. Dick hesitated, he by all means was not afraid of heights, just... Falling. Memories of his parents would flash through his mind whenever he was free falling through the air. Warily, Dick kicked off his shoes and ran towards the edge.

The feeling of wind rushing past his head was enough to calm Dick's fearful mind, and when he hit the water with such a large force, he completely went under.

He didn't panic, not in the least bit. But he did pull his shirt over his head, because it was greatly hindering his ability to swim. After all, he had forgotten about why he left it on in the first place.

Coming up for air, Dick could here Jason laughing hysterically next to him.

"What's so funny?" Dick asked, slashing water on his brother.

"You, you were," Jason began through his laughter, "You were waving your arms around like some kind of bird who couldn't fly" Jason continued laughing while Dick just rolled his eyes and looked back up at the cliff.

"Uhm Jay? How are we supposed to get back up there?"

"Huh? Oh, oh we gotta climb. There's a pretty good spot right over here with some good hand and foot holds. Here, I'll go first." The two began making their way up the steep and rocky side of the cliff, Jason still trying to contain his giggles. Once at the top, he turned towards Dick.

"So you wanna- oh my God... Dick... Dick what IS that?" At first confusion crossed his brother's face, but when Jason pointed at the mark on his chest Dick turned white.

"Oh... That. Well I uh... It's..." Dick stumbled for an explanation, scratching his head sheepishly, "The first time he tried to get me to use the gun, I said no. And well, this was the result." Dick explained, gesturing towards his chest.

"Dude, we should go back... Maybe Alfred can-"

"No, no Alfred can't do anything about it. It was supposed to scar, so just forget about it. The only way the get it off would be to slice it off my skin." Dick turned away from his brother and sighed heavily, "Even when he's not even here Slade still ruins my day..." He muttered, "Can we just, forget about it? I just wanna spend my day having fun, not worrying over something I can't fix." Jason nodded, and the two ran over the cliff together.

* * *

Back at the manor, Dick was sitting on the couch shirtless before Alfred, Bruce, and Jason.

"My word..." Alfred muttered under his breath, no doubt regarding the mark over his heart.

"When did this happen?" Bruce asked in a calm voice, and Dick merely shrugged.

"A few months back, it doesn't matter, Bruce. You can't fix it. It was supposed to scar and it did. It's too late for anything." Dick leaned back on The couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"One of your teammates," Bruce began, a plan clearly forming in his mind, "The empath, you said before she was a healer right? Maybe she can-"

"Don't bother with it Bruce. She can try but it won't work. It's been too long." Dick silently pleaded that this would be enough for the Dark Knight to back off. Dick didn't want the mark gone, because when Slade came back for him the man would surely notice it and just inflict more pain onto him, creating a new mark in the process.

"We should still try, Dick. And besides, I'm sure the Titans are dying for a visit." Bruce replied, pointing out that the Titans HAD wanted to visit, but Dick just hadn't allowed them too. He had n specific reason for not talking to the Titans, Dick just didn't want anyone to pressure him into fighting crime again, and the Titans would surely do this exact thing.

"Fine," Dick huffed, "I'll call them tonight, but they're not staying longer than a week. Jump City needs them and I don't want to be the cause of blame if anything happens while they're away." Dick stood from the couch and stalked off towards his room, searching under the bed for his yellow and black communicator.

* * *

**I know some of you are probably screaming FINALLY! at the top of your lungs right now. And yes, the Titans WILL make an appearance in the next few chapters (Yes, that IS plural!) I think an appearance from them is LONG overdo, I mean when was the last time they were around? I looked back to see, and it was the FIRST CHAPTER of Ignoring the Truth! I am SO SORRY for your lack of Titans! **


	3. Day 6

**Ida4444: I don't think you're bashing me at all! I kind of agree with you, looking back at it now. I tried extra hard in this chapter to make sure everyone stayed in character, although I think I might be a little off with Jason and Raven. I've been trying to learn more about Jason as a person, but since I can only find stuff from when he's the Red Hood it's a little hard for me to talk about him when he was Robin. **

**Kirokokori: I completely agree with you. I was kind of rushed during the ends and beginning of this chapter so I didn't focus much on Bruce and his dialogue. Right now I think Bruce is a little bit clueless as to what TRULY happened while Dick was Slade's apprentice, but in the next few chapters he will really start to change. **

**Robinloverforeve: I think we may live in different time zones, so just know that when I say Sunday I mean Sunday my time, which sounds more like early Monday morning or late Sunday night your time. I'll see if I can fit something in like a note from Slade. It's a good idea, but I'm still not sure how I would make it. **

Dick was, to say the least, very nervous about seeing the Titans again. They had arrived late last night, too tired to do anything but sleep and had gone to bed without even bothering to say hello. Now it was early the next morning, and Dick was sitting with Jason at the dining room table, waiting for the Titans to come for breakfast.

The Titans had woken one at a time, Raven being the first up as usual. She sat down across from a fidgeting Dick and a starving Jason, examining them both over her cup of herbal tea.

"Hey, sleep well?" Dick asked in an awkward tone, washing down his embarrassment with a glass of water.

"Um yeah, I guess as about as well as I could have." Raven replied, before asking "So how have you been? I mean, after everything that's happened...?" The empath mentally slapped herself when she could feel the waves of discomfort radiating off of her leader.

"Yeah I've, I've been good. Just kind of hanging out around the house so far. All the schools are out for summer break so there isn't much to do..." Dick turned and guests red towards his brother, "This is Jason. I guess you could say he's my brother? We were both adopted so..." Dick trailed off, his voice soon becoming non-existent in the vast room.

Both Dick and the Titans were still having a hard time believing all this. When Dick had allowed Bruce to call the Titans he expected it to be as Batman, but this was not the case. Normally Bruce was EXTREMELY cautious about who to tell his identity too, but he had revealed it to the Titans within the first few minutes of his call.

The next to awaken was Cyborg, who seemed as friendly Nd open as always.

"Hey man, it's good to see you again. This is some place you got here! They serve any bacon?" Cyborg chatted away as he sat down at the table.

"Indeed we do, sir." Alfred replied to his question with a large plate full of a meat lovers dream.

"Man, I'm liking this place already!" Cyborg said excitedly as he began digging into his large pile of breakfast foods.

The four of them continued talking until the remaining two Titans came for breakfast together, sitting down at the table while smiling at their friends.

"Good morning friends! Robin, it is so glorious to see you again!" Starfire beamed as she reached out to give Dick a hug, who had unnoticeably flinched when she called him Robin.

"Hey Star, it's good to see you to." Dick returned the hug before sitting back down to finish his breakfast.

After breakfast, Dick and Jason gave the Titans a tour of the manor, which stopped short when Beast Boy and Cyborg discovered the television room.

"Dude! You have the new Super Ninja Monkeys game!? Cyborg, I am SO goanna kick your butt!" Beast Boy yelled in excitement before hopping onto the couch and grabbing a controller, followed quickly by Cyborg and Jason.

"Oh, you're on grass stain!" Cyborg shouted back. Starfire, Raven and Dick watched them play, having no desire to get in the middle of their competitive game.

"Dick?" Raven turned towards the boy in question after about ten minutes, a concerned look on her face. Once she got his attention she began again, "When Batman- Bruce, sorry- called he seemed… kind of concerned about something. We aren't just here for a visit are we? Is there something you need to tell us? I can feel all the nervousness radiating off of you. I just…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I just want to make sure you know that we're here for you. If you need to talk, I'm always available."

After their conversation, Raven and Robin continued watching the boys play video games until it was time for lunch.

"Oh Robin, I was unaware that you had a brother! Please, what is your name?" Starfire asked the boy, who had stayed quiet for most of the day, standing near the back and just watching the Titans and especially Dick.

"Uhm Starfire?" Raven leaned towards the alien, speaking in a low voice so none of the others could hear her. "I think it would be best if you called him by his real name, he's just called Dick here, so maybe stop calling him that?" Raven once again stumbled over her words, not used to talking so much in one day.

Starfire nodded in understanding and their lunch was continued in peace.

Later in the afternoon, Dick and Jason decided to show the Titans the Batcave.

"Woah, Dudes! This is amazing!" Beast Boy exclaimed in excitement, reaching out to touch one of the many weapons hanging on the stone wall.

"Yo! Grass Stain! Don't touch that! With your luck it'll blow up and kill us all!" Cyborg panicked, slapping Beast Boy's hand away.

"Our he'll just cut his hand off." Raven mumbled under her breath, making Starfire giggle.

"On second thought, feel free to touch anything that looks deadly." Cyborg said, making everyone burst into a small fit of laughter.

So guys, this is the Batcave, there's the computer. The weapons wall is over here, and through that door is the training room. Down these stairs is all the stuff Batman's collected over the years." Dick told them as they all descended the stairs into the museum like floor of the Batcave. Dick showed them the giant penny, the large joker card, and many other things, along with telling the stories that came along with each of the items.

"Oh, look!" Starfire said, flying towards a wall with pictures and newspapers framed on it. "It is little Robin!" She pointed towards a newspaper article about Robin, the headline reading 'Batman takes in Boy Wonder as sidekick!'. Next to the article was a picture of both Batman and Robin. Dick was only eight, almost nine when the picture had been taken. His costume consisted of the usual red shirt, yellow cape and, sadly, the green shorts, which made Jason, Beast Boy, and Cyborg burst into laughter.

"Dude! You look so dumb! And I thought your costume now was bad!" Cyborg choked out in between his laughter.

"Hey, c'mon guys," Dick said, laughing a little himself, "I was nine, cut me some slack. I got to pick my own outfit and as you can see I wasn't the most fashionable kid and all."

"Oh Robin! You look so adorable! Was it not most enjoyable being a superhero?" Starfire asked, yet again calling him Robin. Soon after everyone stopped laughing and gave the girl small glares for the name. "Please," Starfire began again when Dick didn't answer, "When will you be coming back home to fight the crime again?" She flew closer to Dick now, who took small steps away from her.

"Star, I really don't want to talk about this right now…" He replied uncomfortably, but the alien didn't noticed and only advanced her questions

"But please, you must return with us! I wish to commence in the eating of pizza and the watching of movies again!" She said excitedly, happiness shining in her eyes.

"I…" Dick looked at her, then at the other Titans, who were also wanting to know when he would come home. "I don't know. I got to go, I think Alfred is calling for me." Dick lied, hurriedly walking up the stairs and out of the cave, towards his room.

"Did I say something wrong? Please, I am most sorry-"

"Don't worry about it, he's just kind of been fidgety whenever anyone mentions the whole Robin thing. Just… I'm going to go talk to him." Jason replied, before heading up the stairs after his brother.

"Please," Starfire turned towards her friends, confusion now covering her face, "I do not understand why Robin would not like to come home. He has most enjoyed the fighting of crime before! Does he not wish to be our friend any longer?"

"Star," Cyborg sighed in disappointment, "I know that we would all love to have him back as soon as possible, but you have to remember what he went through with Slade."

"I agree with Cyborg," Raven said, "We don't know what happened while he was with Slade, but I'm sure it was hard. He probably hasn't been around anyone other than Slade very much the past few months, it's going to take a while for him to get used to being around people who aren't blackmailing him again."

"But I do not want it to take a long time! I wish for Robin to be better now so that we may go home and be friends again! I do not like Gotham, it is dark and scary and there are many disturbing people here! He must come home at once and get better and be happy again!" Starfire shouted in frustration. Why couldn't her friends understand? Robin did not need time to get better, he needed to be home with his friends again!

"Star, as much as I hate to agree with you on this, he wants to be here. Not back in Jump." Cyborg told her, "These people, they're his family and I'm sure after everything they've gone through together he needs them around. Someday Robin will come home, but I don't think it will be anytime soon. We just have to deal with it."

Starfire sighed, floating down to the ground and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I must make the apologizes to Robin." She said in a quiet, defeated voice. She did not want Robin to stay in Gotham, she wanted him home where he was safe.

"That's a good idea Star, but I think we better wait a while for him to cool down." Cyborg said again, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her an encouraging smile.

"And besides," Beast Boy spoke up, a smirk plastered on his face, "Cyborg and I need to have a rematch!"

**Sorry this is late, I have my excuses but I'm sure you don't want to hear them. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out on time. Until then, have a good week!**

**-Dreams **


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